Improvement in washing-machines



4Ulvrrrn'.) S'I'AJI'ES 'PATENT GFFIGE.

THOMAS A., MASSIE, OF FLATTSBURG, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN wAsHme-MAcHINEs.

To all whomrt may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. MASSIE, of Plattsburg, in the county of Clinton and State of Missouri, have invented va new and useful Improvement in Washing-Machines 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will en able others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being` had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved machine taken through the line w a', Fig. 2.- Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same taken through the line y y, Fig. 1, part of the beater being broken away. Fig. 3 is a detail section al view, showing the manner in which the lever is pivoted.

Similar letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts.

My invention has for its object to furnish an improved washin gmaehine, which shall be simple lin construction, easily operated, and effective in operation, washing the clothes quickly, thoroughly, and without injuring them in the least, and it consists in the construction andcombination of the various parts of the machine as hereinafter more fully described.

A is the box of the machine, which is supported upon legs B of such a length as to raise the machine to a convenient height. The middle part ofthe box A is made iiat, its rear part is curved upward, and its forward part is inclined upward, as shown in Fig. l. The top ofthe forward end of the box A is beveled off to allow the operating-lever to work properly. The sides and ends ofthe box A are made vertical, and to their upper edges are attached the stationary parts O D of the cover, the forward part O of which is slotted to allow the beater-lever to pass through and operate. The part E of the cover directly over the pla-ce where the clothes are operated upon is made detachable, and is provided with a handle for convenience in removing it for putting in and taking out the clothes. A small piece, F, of the rear part of the cover, may also b e made detachable for convenience in pouring in water. G is a vertical rack, the lower end of which is secured to the iiat part of the bottom of the box A and its upper end is secured to the rear stationary part D of the cover. The inclined for- .ward part of the bottom of the box A has angular ribs J attached to it, over which the clothes are moved while being operated upon. Along the side edges of the inclined part of the bottom of the box A, at the outer ends of the ribs J, are placed ribs or cleats K, which should be as high or a little higher than the ribs J, and which serve as ways for the beater H to move up and down upon. H is the beater, which is made in the form of a rack, with its slats notched upon their forward sides. The beater H should be arranged with its upper edge slightly inclined forward, so that it may hold the clothes and press them firmly against the stationary rack G. I is an arm, the lower end of which is dovetailed into the middle part of the rack H so as to be securely attached to said rack.

end of which is pivoted to the operating-lever M, which has one or more handles, m', formed upon its outer ends. The inner part ofthe lever M is curved, as shown in Fig. 1, and its inner end is attached to a socket or coupling-plates, N, to the lower part of which is attached a lever, O, which thus becomes an extension of the said lever M. rlhe lever O passes through a slot in the stationary part D of the cover, between the socket-plates P, which are pivoted to lugs attached to said cover D, and which are provided with a tongue or pawl, Q, which is held down against the outer edge of the lever O by a rubber key or other suitable spring. The rear edge of the lever O is notched or has ratchet-teeth formed in it for the pawl or tongue Q to take hold of. To the lower end of the lever O is attached a cross-bar, It, to the forward side of which are attached teeth S, so arranged as to pass between the slots of the rack G.

By this arrangement, as the beater H is moved downward it presses the clothes against the rack G, the rake R S at the same time mov away from said vrack G. As the beater H is withdrawn the rake R S moves forward and pushes the clothes away from said rack G, partially turning them over, so that about three strokes ofthe beater and rake will turn the clothes through an entire revolution. The resistance of the clothes to the rake R S will tend to raise it, the lever O sliding up between the plates l? and beingl held by the pawl Q so that the rake will automatically adjust itself in position to act upon the upper part of the clothes and thus more effectually turn them.

To the upper end of the arm I is l attached the lower end of the lever L, the upper Having thus described my invention, I claim as nenr and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The beater H, dovetailed zum I, lever L, operetng-lever M, socket or plates N, pvoted socketplzttes P, pmvl or tongue Q, leVerO, and rake R S, constructed and arranged in eonneetion with each other and with the stationary rack G, :Ln-

gnlar ribs J, ribs or Ways K, and bok A, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

THOMAS A. MASSIE. Witnesses:

JAMEs S. WARD, JAMES M. RILEY. 

